


Strangers

by komkommertijd



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Jos Verstappen's A+ Parenting, M/M, Mutual Pining, Strangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22641502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komkommertijd/pseuds/komkommertijd
Summary: "Oh, to be a handsome young navy man in 1930 with curly hair and dirt on my nose on my break from hauling cargo from the shipyard, reading a  Little Blue Book titled Homosexual Life that I bought for ¢5, pretending not to notice the banker's son eyeing me in a truly sinful way."OrThe AU based on a Tumblr prompt I found on Instagram no one asked for but I wrote it anyway.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 10
Kudos: 90





	Strangers

It was unbelievably hot outside, the sun burning down on Daniel's head as he sat down on the wooden box filled with bananas, the last one he had to carry before he was allowed to take a break. He sighed quietly, wiping the sweat off his forehead while he gave his bypassing colleague a weak smile, watching as the other workers walked away. He was left to sit alone by the water, enjoying the life and buzzing around him in the hot summer heat of a typical day in July where the heat was simply too much, even at the seaside where a soft breeze usually brought the cool salty air from the ocean to the city. 

Daniel usually spent his breaks alone, reading and giving his mind some much-needed change from the hard work he had to do all day. His work in the shipyard was tiring and bland, so he used the written stories as a way to keep his brain entertained. He pulled the small book out of his pocket, leaning back on the box as he looked for the right page. It looked inconspicuous to the people around him who were not aware of the topic of his book, the cover giving nothing away unless one recognized, a like-minded person. Daniel didn't have to worry about judgment this way and being able to read it in public without causing an outrage almost made him laugh sometimes.

He ran his fingers through his dark curls, wet from the salty air and the arduous work before he looked back down at the open book. His concentration lasted for about three seconds, then he looked back up, his eyes catching the distant gaze of a young male across the street, standing next to a few important looking people in suits, not paying any attention to what they were saying. When he realized that Daniel caught him staring his eyes widened, visible even from a distance and the cargo worker couldn't help but laugh at his behavior, biting his lip and lifting his book a little higher, continuing to watch the other one over the top of the cover.

It got a smile out of the stranger when the blue cover reflected the sunlight, giving away a secret, a promise even to the young man who suddenly turned away, breaking eye contact when one of the important men brought his attention back to the conversation by hitting his shoulder rather ungently. Daniel frowned at the gesture but chose not to think about it too hard, focusing on his book instead, the stories on the pages drawing him in and telling him about unknown desires, about things and feelings he never dared to think about. It was like allowing himself to dream, giving his mind the bridge it needed to cross a river of fear and discontent in order to reach a place of peace and love and freedom, sort of.

"Hey idiot, it's time to get back to work. You got something on your nose, let me help you!" Daniel barely managed to dodge Lando's wet thumb when he tried to rub the dirt off his nose, complaining about his annoying coworker as he tried to catch his arm to avoid any more embarrassment. Sometimes he really hated the younger male and his behavior sometimes but at the end of the day, he was still Daniel's best friend. Daniel's nosy best friend, who tried to snatch the small, worn-looking book away, pouting when he didn't succeed. 

"Come on, show me what you're reading! I want to know what's so special about it, Danny. The banker's son seemed really interested in it as well, didn't he?"

Daniel just rolled his eyes when Lando smirked, wiggling his eyebrows and managing to look incredibly stupid at the same time, something he was really good at. The older one sighed, explaining that he didn't even know the guy, that he didn't know his father either and the gasp that followed from Lando made him roll his eyes once again before he got up, batting the dust off his pants so he could return to work. He never figured out why he was supposed to know some uninteresting businessman and his friend had no nerves left to explain the big influence he had on the city to Daniel once again. Lando got the hint and returned to work, not waiting up for his friend. Daniel looked back one more time, his eyes hesitantly resting on the young stranger who somehow pulled off looking interested in his father's conversation, his handsome face serious and his blond hair catching the bright rays of sunshine whenever he nodded at what the other men in suits were saying. Nothing more than a stranger, Daniel thought with a snort when he made his way back to the ship.

It was a different thing when he had Max laying next to him that night, his head on his chest and his expression a lot softer than during the day. He was not a stranger then, his arm lazily draped across Daniel's stomach and their legs tangled underneath the blanket. He blinked tiredly, smiling contently and listening to what Daniel had to tell him about his day, about the stories he read that day and his banter with Lando. He let his fingers trail across Max's back, soothing the young male and slowly lulling him to sleep. Max never talked too much during their evenings together, rather listening to his boyfriend and allowing him to take his mind off things for a while before he had to return to work the next day, forcing a smile when his father made another unfunny joke about his son being a womanizer for he barely spent a night at home anymore.

It was a hot summer night and Max was tired, dozing off on Daniel's shoulder as the older one continued talking and it made him smile, his chest filling with warmth at the sight of it. He knew that everything would repeat the next day, the silent communication across the streets and inappropriate glances, trying to crack each other up but barely ever succeeding. He pulled Max just a little bit closer at the thought of having to let him go in the morning.

During the day they were nothing more than strangers after all.

**Author's Note:**

> So uhm hi.  
> I kind of changed some of the things from the prompt and I'm sorry about that but I hope it was sort of readable still.  
> Personally, I don't really know whether I like how this turned out, oh well.  
> Thank you for reading this story, I'll see you soon with another one :)


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